Not Always What They Seem
by Moonlite Knight
Summary: It was a simple accident. Just one wrong turn and the escapee Sirius Black had ended up in a foreign country in the hands of one loud mouthed boy and one talking suit of armor. FMA x HP crossover
1. Chapter 1: Memorable Meetings

_**Points to Note: I do not like cursing. Being called names hurts. So, no one in this fic will ever say a really bad word, I'll just say that they cursed, or something. And the colonel will be referred to as Colonel Idiot, not the name Ed dubbed him in the series. Apologies for this.**_

_Disclaimer: Do you think I have a death wish or something? Like I'm ever going to say 'I own FMA'…wait… P.S. the ingenious quote used as a line breaker was first uttered by __**Phaedrus, not moi. **_

**Not Always What They Seem**

ͽ Chapter 1: Memorable Meetings ͼ

When one's life was overflowing with happiness, it was all too easy to forget about the existence of sadness. On the other hand, when confronted solely with sadness continuously for a countless number of years, it was equally easy to forget even the meaning of the word happiness.

Sirius Black counted himself lucky for being exempt from the latter category. Though he had long ago lost count of the number of years he had spent in that damp, dark, dirty prison cell, he did not forget one crucial thing.

He was innocent.

He had committed no crime. He had not provided Voldemort with the information that had led to the murders of his best friend and his wife, and had made their child an orphan. He had not betrayed the people he loved most in the world. He had _not_.

Unfortunately, no one but him knew that. Truly, no one but him believed that and there were some days when even he began to doubt his innocence. After all, he must have done something in his life to be undergoing such cruel punishment now.

Sirius dully started at the opposite wall, noting with numb surprise that there was a pile of rags there, probably meant to be his bed. How long had that been there?

_It's amazing, really, _Sirius thought, as he pulled his mind away from the world around him and back into his mental haven. _That I've been here for so long, but I still forget the location of my bed. _

The tiny spark of amusement that had followed this thought vanished abruptly, as though it had been sucked from his very being. The now familiar lonely despair descended upon him once again.

"So" he whispered dully. "The leeches are back." _And they brought a friend._

The oddly loud creak of the door, followed by stiff, almost frightened, footsteps did not motivate Sirius to see who entered. It was only when the new arrival stopped in front of him, did Sirius bother to raise his head and meet the frightened, but determined eyes of the Minister of Magic.

*~~ͽ Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many ͼ~~*

"I don't like the sound of this," the golden-haired Edward Elric, also known as the Fullmetal Alchemist, grumbled as he stomped his way down the street. He was not is a good mood. "I don't like this one bit."

His younger brother, Alphonse Elric sighed as he watched his elder brother continue grumbling. There were times when he felt like the older one. Now was one of those instances. "Nii-san, I don't think the Colonel cares if you like this or not."

"I know that narcissist doesn't care." he snapped in reply, continuing to fume not so silently as they walked to Central Headquarters. He completely ignored the stares his behavior was earning them.

"Do you really think he's a narcissist?" Al asked, caught off guard by this tidbit of information.

Ed snorted."Of course," he said, in an all knowing tone. "Why else would he be stealing everyone else's girlfriends?"

Al blinked."Er, Nii-san, I don't think that's exactly what narricist means." Actually, he was positive that narcissist had a different meaning.

Ed waved his metal hand dismissively as he yanked open the door to the Central Headquarters with the other flesh one. "Al, don't bother me with useless technicalities."

'_Useless technicalities'_ Al thought, a bit bemused and a lot amused by his elder brother's words. "The definition of a word isn't useless, Nii-san."

He politely greeted a couple of senior officers who passed by while Ed barely glanced in their direction, being too focused on getting the meeting with the Colonel over with so that they could get back to looking for the ever elusive Philosopher's Stone.

"Nii-san, you could at least try to be polite." He chided his older brother who had just waved a hand to acknowledge Hawkeye's hello.

"I'm always polite," Edward replied, stopping in front of the Colonel's door. "It's Colonel Idiot who needs lessons in manners."

Al sighed as Ed opened the door and disappeared inside. He leaned against the wall to patiently wait for him. Hawkeye gave him a sympathetic look before sending a threatening one towards the rest of the inhabitants who had begun to bet on just who would leave the meeting triumphant.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the meeting would not end well. Then again, when had an encounter between those two ever ended without the flaring of tempers, destruction of property, both public and private, and death or marshal threats?

*~~ͽ Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many ͼ~~*

He was alive. The traitor was alive.

That was the sole thought that raced through Sirius's mind ever since he saw the picture in the Daily Prophet. He had barely noticed the Minister's exit. He had barely noticed when his guards had opened the door to leave a tray of gray gruel which was meant to be his dinner. Nor did he notice when they returned an hour later to pick up the untouched tray. His entire attention was focused on what he had learned by simply asking for the paper to complete a crossword puzzle.

Remus had always said the crossword puzzles would pay off one day, though Sirius was willing to bet that he had been thinking of benefits on the intellectual level. But it did not matter. He knew the truth now. The traitor was alive. And he was at Hogwarts with Harry.

Sirius made up his mind, then and there. He would escape this prison and hunt down that rat. He would find it and kill it. For Lily and James, his best friends, for his godson who probably knew nothing of his existence, for the twelve years he had lost rotting in this hellhole. He would kill that rat and avenge them all. For James, Lily, Harry, Remus, and himself, Sirius Black would break out of Azkaban and commit the crime for which he had been imprisoned for.

Sirius Black would become a murderer.

*~~ͽ Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many ͼ~~*

"He can't do this!" Ed shouted, stomping out of Mustang's office.

Immediately, everyone was busied themselves with something or another, all carefully avoiding the enraged alchemist's eyes. Ed was too upset to even notice just how glaringly obvious the fact that they had been eavesdropping was. Though it wasn't exactly easy not to listen in, everyone within a twelve block radius probably had heard them arguing.

"What happened, Nii-san?" Al asked, cautious of his brother's mood. He was angrier than he usually was after meeting with the Colonel.

Ed scowled almost comically. "'You are to remain at Central until further notice.'" Ed replied in a high-pitched voice that was apparently meant to sound like Mustang's. Al could just see the steam coming out of his ears. "He can't make us stay here. We don't have to listen to him!"

Al turned towards Hawkeye, who had been calmly filling some papers, for support.

"He's your superior officer, Edward." She said in a deadpan voice. Only the glint in her eye betrayed her amusement. "Unless you wish to be court-martialed, you must obey to him."

The explosion that followed was just as exaggerated and loud as she expected.

"What!? He can't make us stay! That—!"

His tirade was interrupted before it got any more fiery by the arrival of Roy Mustang himself. Or more accurately, the arrival of his head, which he stuck out of the room, brow wrinkled in annoyance.

"Still here, Fullmetal?" he asked, though he could full well see the boy standing there scowling at him."Did it not go through your thick skull and into your _tiny_ brain that we are _short_ on time?" He smirked as he waited for the response. He was not disappointed.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF SAND— mmph!!" The rest of his yell was cut off, muffled by the armor-clad hand of his younger brother as it was pressed over his mouth. His failing arms and glare left no doubt that he was calling the Colonel a number of vile names.

"Ah, I think it's time for us to leave." Al said, somehow managing to look apologetic and polite while keeping a hand firmly over his brother's mouth and using his other hand to keep him from jumping forward.

"Come on, Nii-san." Nodding his goodbye to the amused soldiers, Al all but dragged his elder brother out of the room.

"Sir," he heard Hawkeye say as they left. "If you are done goading Edward, get back to your paperwork." There was a familiar click of a loaded gun, followed by an audible gulp.

If Al's metal face could show emotion, it would have broken out into a wide smile. But it couldn't, so he didn't. But it did not stop him from putting on a cheery air that contrasted greatly with his brother's. Poor Mustang, though he probably did deserve it for purposely pushing Ed's buttons.

Despite Ed's continuous struggles to break out of Al's hold, it was only when there was at least a block between them and headquarters did Al release his brother. The first thing Ed did upon his release was glare at his big little brother. Then he straightened his clothes and marched ahead, his nose in the air, pointedly ignoring the fact that he had been kicking and attempting to shout, like a child having a tantrum just minutes before. For once, Al was glad his face did not betray his feelings, he was sure Nii-san would not take too kindly to the fact that he was laughing at him.

"…Stupid Colonel…" he heard Ed mutter as a combat boot clad foot kicked an empty bottle out of the way.

Al wisely let his brother cool off for a few minutes before speaking. He knew Ed was more upset about their situation than at him, but still, better safe than sorry.

"What exactly did the Colonel say, Nii-san?" Al asked, once he was sure that Ed was not going to explode into another rant about the Colonel and his faults.

Though his brother's back was turned towards him, Al could tell he was scowling when he answered. The scowl was practically present in his voice.

"We're not allowed to leave town," Ed replied as he continued to march. "And we are to keep a low profile. That idiot's all but placed us under _house arrest_."

"Why?" Al asked, curiously. Mustang rarely ordered either of them to do anything. The fact that he was doing so now meant he had a very good reason. A horrible idea appeared in Al's head. "Is it because of Scar?" The killer hadn't returned to finish the job had he?

_Twitch._ "No."

"…You're a bad liar, Nii-san."

Ed sent him a sheepish grin over his shoulder. "Don't worry. Mustang's not even sure if it was him. Could be just a mistake made by an overexcited civilian."

Al didn't believe him. Mustang wouldn't have bothered if all the proof he had was from a fanatic. But he still replied, "If you say so, Nii-san."

Ed stopped marching ahead and fell into step with his little brother. Crossing his arms behind his head and pasting a huge grin on his face, he said, "Of course I say so! Don't worry. The most we probably have to stay here is a month." He gave his brother a light punch in the arm. "Now come on, let's get back to our room before it gets dark. I'm starving."

_A month…_ Al thought musingly as they headed back in companionable silence. _Nii-san's right. Just how much trouble can we get in just a month? _

*~~ͽ Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many ͼ~~*

Several thousand miles away, in a dark, forlorn prison built on an island in the middle of nowhere respectable, a convict by the name of Sirius Black was discovered missing.

_**HP crossovers are so much fun, for me anyway ^^ I got this idea, somehow someday, and I really wanted to read a fic like this but couldn't find one, so I decided to write it instead. **_

_**Please review and tell me what you think! If you don't like it, please say so in a polite manner, thanks! **_


	2. Chapter 2: Chance Encounters

_**Points to Note: Ed's personality confuses me, so he may be a bit OOC until I figure him out. Fair warning. Also, don't be mean to animals (yes, such people do exist, unfortunately). Down with animal cruelty! **_

_Disclaimer: Not the current owner of Potter, the Elrics, or the worlds in which they reside. Not even the previous owner. Or the previous, previous owner. Or the previous, previous, previous…._

ͽ Chapter 2: Chance Encounters ͼ

Sirius hadn't stopped running since he had first reached land. Before that, he had been frantically swimming away from the dreaded island. And before _that_, he had been rotting in a cell on said island. It didn't come as a surprise to soon find himself bloody exhausted.

But he didn't stop running.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried to stop; more than once his legs had nearly given out and acquainted his canine face with the ground. Even now, as his paws thudded oddly loud on the cement, he could feel his entire body shaking. His muscles were straining from the unaccustomed effort being forced upon them. Sitting idly in a cramped cell for over a decade did not leave one in the best of shapes, as Sirius had quickly found out.

But he continued to force his legs to move, one after another, in a steady motion. He didn't stop simply because he _couldn't_. If he stopped now, then he was sure that he would not be able to start moving again. If he stopped now, his muscles would seize up, rendering him useless. If he stopped now, the enormity of the situation was sure to suffocate him.

His vision slid of focus for a second in response to a futile attempt to increase his speed. He was running to go murder one of his closest childhood friends for murdering their other friend and pinning all the blame on him. A strange noise escaped his throat, a cross between a laugh and a whimper. Not once in his youth had he ever imagined himself as a murderer. Not even in Azkaban had he nurtured thoughts of homicide.

It was only when he had seen the article and realized that Harry, poor little Harry, was in danger did the desire to kill the rat arise as strong as it had when he first learned of the deceit. Killing the rat wouldn't make everything better; it wouldn't give Harry back his parents, him back his dearest friends, but it would help ease the guilt in his heart.

His breath came out in heavy pants. The scorching sun beating down on him did little to help. Where in the world was he, he wondered briefly. It was never this hot in England. Surely, he hadn't been locked away so long that the climate had changed.

The canine kept his sweat soaked head on the ground, keeping up the appearance of a stray will searching for a discarded newspaper, magazine, anything that would help him determine just how far he was from Harry. He turned into an alley and the world abruptly turned upside down. It took him a moment to realize that he had run head first into something. Or, more accurately, several someones.

"Bloody dog," snarled the boy he had run into as his friends steadied him.

Though severely malnourished, Sirius was still large enough to cause the boy to stumble. The animagus didn't care too much about that though. His head spun nauseously as he struggled upright. Damn, it probably hadn't been such a great idea to run such a great distance after just escaping imprisonment. While it was imperative that he put as much distance between him and those leeches as possible, running until he could no longer move would not help. He really wished that these flashes of wisdom would come _before _he did something stupid.

The first kick caught him by surprise and left him too dazed to avoid the second. He barked in surprise as the foot came crashing down on his too thin stomach. Those dratted kids were kicking him, he realized with a flash of horror. He struggled to get up and defend himself when a boot landed heavily on his tail. To his utter mortification, a whimper escaped him before it could be suppressed.

His head was spinning again, only snatches of what his assailants were saying was comprehend by his pain-hazed mind. But the three, or was it four, boys attacking him were more of a concern than his swimming vision. He snarled and attempted to bite at one of the feet. Based on the disjointed laughter and his empty jaw, it was safe to say that he had missed. Another vicious kick was connected with his ribs. He dimly registered the crack that followed.

Damn it, he had _not_ escaped from one hellhole only to die at the feet of a few wannabe Slytherins! He lunged out again, and was greeted with a pained shriek. Ha, take that, he thought, smugly, ignoring his throbbing head and the rusty taste that was quickly spreading in his mouth. Gah, the brats even _tasted_ like Slytherins.

"—bid dog!" one of them, not the one he had bitten, shouted.

Sirius could barely make out large blurred blobs stumbling away from him. Something was wrong with this vision.

"— get— of here!"'

His hearing was going as well. Wonderful.

And just when Sirius had thought things couldn't get any worse. His body jerked as the first rock hit him. Bloody Merlin, were they trying to_ stone_ him to death? Another stone hit him squarely in his left eye. As he howled in pain, shaking frantically in an attempt to dislodge the stone, laughter reached his ears. And that was that.

No one laughed at him. No one. Mind full with the echoes of familiar, cruel laughter, Sirius forced himself to his feet, ignored the pain that shot through his ribs, his limbs, and his eye. The alley was oddly silent, it only made the laughter louder. Or was the laughter coming from the boys and not some old phantom? Sirius wasn't sure anymore.

Wind ruffled his fur, blowing it this way and that as he stared down his assailants. The fact that he was breaching so many magical laws at the moment didn't warrant more than a passing thought. Forget the laws. He'd already broken out of Azkaban. What were a few more minor violations? He needed to get to Harry, and he needed to get there _now_.

The boys were finally beginning to fear the dog that merely stood and stared at them with its freakish, glowing eyes as they pleated him with rocks. Sirius could smell the putrid terror leaking off of them. Later, the gang would swear up and down that the events following had happened. No one believed them of course.

Who in their right mind would believe that a devil dog had appeared in an alley, savagely bitten a boy, and them vanished in a swirl of blood, wind, and sparks?

No one, that's who.

*~~ͽ Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many ͼ~~*

Edward was not at all happy about following Mustang's orders. He followed them, true, but he did so as grudgingly, as bad-temperedly, as halfheartedly as possible. And he had no qualms about letting everyone around him know just how pointless and stupid the orders were in his eyes. Unfortunately, as Al rarely left Ed's side, he bore the brunt of all it.

It wasn't that Al was happy about the house arrest though, far from it. He couldn't wait until they were able to resume their searching again; the only one more anxious to do so than him was Ed. But, in a way, Al was glad for Mustang's order to stay in town. If Scar was back, and he did attack, it was best for them to stay nearby, where help could reach them quickly. An image of Ed, wounded and beaten, popped unwillingly into Al's mind. He shook his armored head quickly to rid himself of it. Yes, it was best to stay close.

"Gah, stupid, stupid, stupid…" Ed grumbled, stomping his way down the street. They were on their way to the local store to buy some food, including milk much to Ed's immense displeasure. The civilians around them were giving them a wide breath, though Al wasn't quite sure if it was due to the storm clouds floating around Ed or because of his own rather intimidating appearance.

He sighed and idly wondered just how longer Ed was going to sulk. A day had already passed since Mustang had issued his orders, but Ed had yet to show any signs of following the orders with good grace. The colonel had probably done something else, Al had concluded, that had annoyed Ed so greatly. Usually Ed forgot about the man when he was out of sight. Rarely did he stay mad this long.

And that left the question, what did Mustang say that Ed had neglected to tell him?

"Hurry up, Al!"

The armored boy looked up to see his elder brother a full block ahead of him, impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for his younger brother.

"Ah, sorry Nii-san!" He yelled back, hurrying to catch up. Wow, when had Ed gotten that far ahead of him?

"What's up?" Ed asked once Al was close enough to hear him without resorting to shouting. He turned left and began walking again, Al making sure to keep up this time. "A cat walked right by you and you didn't even try to kidnap it."

"Very funny, Nii-san," Al replied, slightly defensively. He didn't always try to kidnap cats, it was just sometimes. And it wasn't kidnapping, really, it was giving them a better home! That it would be, if Ed would actually ever agree to let him keep one. "I was just thinking."

"Huh," Ed said, stretching his arms lazily. "What of?"

"Just stuff."

They stopped at the corner and waited for the traffic to clear the road. Al fidgeted slightly, not liking Ed's sudden silence. Just minutes before, he had been grumbling about the Colonel. And now? Sudden mellowness. It made Al uneasy.

"Y'know, you don't have to worry so much," Ed said suddenly.

Al turned towards him in surprise. "Wha—"

The alchemist stepped off the curb and began crossing the street, paying no mind to the clouds of dust. "About Scar. I promised, didn't I?"

"Oh, um, ok." Al couldn't help but feel guilty. Had he really been that transparent?

Ed gave a world weary sigh. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll stop sulking about being trapped here."

Al couldn't help it. He laughed.

"What?" Ed asked, annoyed that his sacrifice was being laughed at.

"Never thought you'd actually admit that you were sulking, Nii-san." He teased.

"…shut up Al."

"Sorry Nii-san."Al tried his best to stop laughing. He really did.

"Whatever," Ed said, waving away the apology. "Let's just get the groceries and get back. I think I might have found a potential lead in…"

Al stopped listening then. Not because Ed had shifted into lecture mode, no, of course not. But because he thought he'd heard something. And yes, there it was again. What was it? He slowed down until he reached a complete stop, as his brother kept walking ahead, apparently not hearing anything weird. Al spared his brother a glance before looking around for the source of the sound. It sounded almost like a… yeah, it was. It was a whimper.

Immediately, the only thing on Al's mind was to find the source of the cry. It was so faint yet so heart wrenching. Well, if he had a body with a beating heart, then the sound would be heart-wrenching. At the moment, it was probably more soul wrenching. Either way though, whoever was making that noise was really in trouble.

The soft whimper came again, this time accompanied by a faint…bark? Al peeked into the alley on his right, where he was positive the noise was coming from.

*~~ͽ Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many ͼ~~*

It took Ed a few minutes to notice that he was babbling away to thin air. The weird looks and multitude of mothers shielding their children from him tipped him off. He immediately retraced his steps, swearing to take his little brother's head off if he found him well and unharmed. If some scarred lunatic had attacked him, then fortune help the poor fool.

He passed an alley in between a clothes shop and book store, only to stop and backtrack as something silver caught his eye. Sure enough, who else did he find, with his huge armored back towards him on his knees obviously inspecting something, but his dear little brother?

"Al," he asked, poking his head into the alley. "What are you doing?'

The armored boy jumped, startled. Immediately, he spun around and tried to hide something behind his huge girth. Ed's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Oh, uh, n-nothing, nothing!" Al stammered in response. Any doubts that he may have had about his hypothesis of why Al was knelling in the alley vanished when he heard the guilty tone.

"Al, put it back. I've told you before, you can't have a cat." Ed sighed and turned to walk away. Man, just how many times was Al going to try and sneak a cat before he realized that when Ed said 'No', he meant, 'No way in hell is that happening. Ever.'

"But, but it's not a cat, Nii-san." Al countered, defiantly.

Not a cat? Ed leaned back into the alleyway, squinting to take a closer look at the other being in the dark alley. To his surprise, it really wasn't a feline. It wasn't a wayward prince either. It was a dog. A freaking huge, gigantic, flea-bitten mutt. No. No way. He shook his head frantically and backed away a few steps.

"Can I keep him? Please?" Al pleaded, somehow managing to give his stoic face puppy dog eyes.

Ed avoided his gaze. "No way Al. The thing's huge, it'll be fine on its own."

"But he's hurt!"

Al shifted out of the way, letting Ed, for the first time, get a good look at the canine. And indeed, the dog was in bad shape. Serious bad shape. It looked as though the dog had tried to take on all of the homunculi at once. It was as thin as a rail, dark fur matted with blood, body twitching slightly. He was almost positive that at least one of the dog's ribs were broken judging from the thing's ragged breathing.

Something stirred in the depths of his stomach. If he left the thing there, broken and unconscious, it would probably die alone in the alley, in the dark, without any friends or family around. Damn it.

Ed groaned and rubbed his temples. His brother looked up hopefully.

"I'm going to regret this later, aren't I?" He grumbled as Al cheered happily.

_**Note: Sirius doesn't have a wand. The magic he performed was fueled by pain, anger, and desperation. Wonderful combination for magic, no? **_

_**Note2: Seriously, don't be mean to animals. I can't believe I actually did that to Sirius though…**_

_**Note3: On my DeviantArt account, I'll be posting drawings depicting scenes past, present, and future for this fic, as well as small excerpts from future chapters. Just in case anyone cares. I just recently discovered joys of art, and love it ^^ **_

_**Please leave your thoughts in the form of reviews on the way out! ^^**_


End file.
